By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Despite a death this week in Rachel Miller’s family, the family wants a dedication of a room in Miller’s memory to go forward on Thursday.
Earlier today the Arc of Orleans County said the dedication would be delayed until January. But Miller’s family wants the dedication to stay on schedule.
The dedication will be Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex, 243 South Main St., Suite 220. Refreshments will be provided.
Rachel Miller was a beloved coworker and speech-language therapist who worked 15 years at Rainbow Preschool, which is located at Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex in Albion.
The new room will be a socio-dramatic play center. It will be in honor of Miller, who was killed last March 4.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Matt Mundion of Matt C.M. Contracting won the grand champion award for his float that show a team of deer pulling a sleigh stacked with presents. The top photo shows the float making its way down Main Street on Saturday. The bottom photo shows the float in the staging area at the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina.
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A float that featured a team of stuffed deer heads, including one with a lighted red nose, has been named grand champion of the Parade of Lights.
Matt Mundion of Matt C.M. Contracting won the top award for the parade that included 42 floats. Mundion traveled the parade course in what appeared to be a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
Parade organizers praised participants for their added creativity with the floats in the fifth annual Parade of Lights.
Other float winners include:
Not-for-Profit – Orleans YMCA
Religious – Medina Methodist Church
Service Organization – Medina Mustang Boosters
Fire Company – Medina Fire Department
Business – Roberts Farm Market
Other Groups – Medina Central School Transportation Department
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Orleans County YMCA won an award for its Candyland themed float.
Star Award winner for Creativity – Orleans Master Gardeners
Littlest Elf Award for best design for involving youths and adults – Orleans County Town Clerks
Community Service Award for entry best representing their Community – Lyndonville Fire Company
There are other winners from Saturday’s Old Tyme Christmas celebration in Medina, including:
Cutest little elf contest winners: first place to Benjamin Root, second to Jaelyn Castricone, and third to Winry Tester.
Scavenger hunt winners: first place to Bobby Vidovich, second to Jonathan Becker, and third to Cindy Sands.
Coloring contest winners: first place to Saige Woodhams, second to Dakota Alexander, and third to Nathan Sherman.
BATAVIA – In his first season as the head coach of the Genesee Community College women’s soccer program, Jeff Reyngoudt has been named the 2013 Western New York Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Reyngoudt took over the program last offseason after a 5-12-1 record in 2012 and led Genesee to a 13-4-1 season this year, the first winning record and the highest win total since 2010. The Lady Cougars were 6-1 in conference play this season.
“He’s done a fantastic job,” said GCC Athletic Director Kristen Schuth. “It starts with recruiting and he’s done a great job working with the players he has brought in. He’s made huge strides with the program.”
GCC was ranked as high as fifth in the NJCAA National Poll this year and earned three victories over Top-10 teams. The Lady Cougars earned the number one seed in the Region III Tournament and reached the Finals where they lost in overtime to SUNY Delhi.
Genesee had seven players receive All-Conference honors and four All-Region selections this year.
Reyngoudt currently resides with his family in Holley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Residents can comment on budget that raises taxes 5%
ALBION – Residents get a chance Monday to air their views on a proposed $79.8 million county budget that would raise taxes 5 percent.
The county is holding a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. at the Orleans County Courthouse. The Legislature has scheduled a 9 a.m. meeting on Wednesday at the neighboring County Clerks Building to vote on the spending plan.
The budget would increase the tax rate by 40 cents to $10.11 per $1,000 of assessed property. It exceeds the state property tax cap. The Legislature voted to override the cap last month. The previous two county budgets were under the tax cap, which is set at about a 2 percent increase.
The proposed budget will sustain core services, and it also includes the first payment of $475,000 on an upgrade to the county’s emergency communications system.
Another cost driven is a $558,000 increase in county welfare costs. The state is shifting Family Assistance and Safety Net costs to the local and federal governments, Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said in a budget message.
Besides property tax, sales tax is the best weapon the county has locally for paying for county government costs. Sales tax, however, is running behind the 2012 collections through 2013, a lag the county attributes to a drop in gas prices this year.
County officials have budgeted for a modest $25,000 increase in sales tax. The county takes in about $15 million a year in sales tax. More sales tax would reduce the demand on property taxes.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Fisher-Price made millions of toys in Medina
Photos by Tom Rivers – Fisher-Price started producing toys in Medina in 1970. This Pull-A-Tune Pony was among the first to be produced in the former Heinz factory on Park Avenue.
MEDINA – For nearly three decades the massive manufacturing space on Park Avenue was a major producer of toys.
Fisher-Price turned the former Heinz plant into a manufacturing center for toys, beginning in 1970. It employed 950 people here at its peak, earning Medina the nickname of “Toy Town.” In 1997, the company left town. It was a devastating blow.
The Medina Historical Society has some of the toys made in Medina as part of a display at the society museum, 406 West Ave.
When Fisher-Price came to Medina 43 years ago, the Pull-A-Tune Pony was a new product. One of the first Pull-A-Tune Pony toys is on display in the museum. It was made in Medina on April 1, 1970.
A decade later the company made topped 100 million toys made from the Medina site. The museum has that milestone toy: a ferry boat (pictured above). That toy was made on May 29, 1980.
I moved to Orleans County in July 1996. My first job was as a reporter at The Albion Advertiser, which no longer exists. It used to be part of the Medina Journal-Register.
I remember when Fisher-Price announced the last wave of closings. There was a sense of doom.
But Medina has bounced back. It has been a gradual process and the community is less tied to one major company these days. It is more diversified, with lots of small businesses. It still has some major manufacturers with Baxter Healthcare, Brunner and Associated Brands, all with several hundred workers. Another company, Worthington Cylinders, has nearly 200 employees, but it plans to close its Medina site in mid-2014.
The Fisher-Price workers must have been proud during the holiday season, knowing so many of the toys they made would be part of Christmas for children all over the world.
The Fisher-Price plant closed not long after the company was acquired by Mattel in 1993. Medina’s recent resurgence is a testimony to the community’s resilience after such a crushing blow.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Georgia Thomas remembers meeting William J. Gallagher when she was a little girl. Gallagher was known as a local eccentric, a businessman who liked to portray a clown.
Thomas is an active volunteer with the Medina Historical Society, which runs a museum in an 1841 house at 406 West Ave. I stopped by yesterday as part of Medina’s Old Tyme Christmas celebration.
The museum has a large framed portrait of Gallagher, hamming it up for the camera as a clown. Gallagher appears to be missing his front teeth in the photo and his hair is wild. He has a wide grin and expressive eyes. Thomas said the photo was likely taken in the 1930s.
Gallagher’s name lives on in Medina today. A hill near his former farm on Route 63, just a little south of Boxwood Cemetery, is still known as Gallagher’s Hill. The barn also bears his name: WM J. GALLAGHER.
There is a lot of good stuff in the museum, and I will have upcoming features on some other pieces of their collection. I wish more museums had pictures of people. I tend to like people stories. I would encourage everyone, as gift to your family, to get your photograph taken showing your true personality.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Albion FFA had a Grinch and Whoville themed float. Adam Krenning, the club advisor and agriculture teacher, dressed as the Grinch and drove the tractor.
The Town Clerks Association of Orleans County joined the Parade of Lights for the first time tonight. Shelby Town Clerk Darlene Rich, left, greets the crowd from the lighted display.
MEDINA – More than 50 community groups created floats and decorated them in brilliant glowing colors for the fifth annual Parade of Lights in Medina.
The event was a dazzling display that left many folks, including myself, awestruck. There was an enormous crowd of people along Main Street and a line of people along Park Avenue. Many of them were in lawn chairs.
The parade included several new entries. It keeps growing and getting better each year.
Stanton Signs put a friendly face at the end of its float.
Habitat for Humanity makes its way down Main Street with its lighted float.
The Medina Transportation Association turned a 15-passenger bus into a pirate ship as part of their float.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Dancing Derrick Bradley was part of the Weed Man display from Albion.
The Master Gardeners joined the parade with a “Hoe, Hoe, Hoe” themed float.
The Abominable Snowman was one of the stars of the Roberts Farm Market float.
One of the fire trucks has a giant glowing Mickey Mouse at the back as it heads down Main Street through a big crowd in downtown Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Santa Claus arrived in Medina today by horse-drawn carriage. He was led into town in a mini-parade down Main Street with a band, color guard and elves.
Kathy Blackburn, president of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, dressed as an elf and helped direct children in costumes through the downtown business district.
Santa rode in the carriage with Ben Root, 2 ½ of Medina. He won the award for best-dressed elf. Ben is the son of Patrick and Jennifer Root. Ben also was the first one to sit with Santa in the Medina Theater Company. Ben is pictured in his award-winning outfit with Santa, who is scheduled for photos with children from 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Santa will help light the Christmas display in Rotary Park at 5:30.
The parade of lights will be at 6 p.m. More events are also on the schedule. For more information, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Outfits included tutus, Santa hats and other holiday spirit
Photos by Tom Rivers – Mercedes Houseman of Oakfield, left, and Debbie Tompkins of Medina are in the home stretch of the first Home for the Holidays 5K this morning. The race ended on Main Street by the American Legion.
Patty Hastreiter of Lancaster sprints to the finish line in the 5K. She also ran the Turkey Trot in Buffalo on Thursday. Her sister-in-law, Cindy Robinson, organized today’s race with her husband Jim Robinson.
MEDINA – The first Home for the Holidays 5k attracted 85 runners this morning in Medina. Many of the participants ran in Santa hats, jingle bells and other outrageous outfits, including tutus.
Race organizer Cindy Robinson was pleased with the turnout for the first race. She wants it to become an annual tradition, a kickoff to Medina’s Old Tyme Christmas celebration that continues until 11 p.m. today.
Robinson has seen how a holiday-themed race can become a major draw. Seneca Falls started the “It’s A Wonderful Life 5K” in 2009. Last year it attracted 2,000 participants to the small village that was used for the classic film starring Jimmy Stewart.
“For the first race I’m thrilled,” Robinson said. “We can build on this and make it better.”
Many of the runners in this morning’s 5-kilometer race were dressed for the holidays. This group includes, from left: Stephanie Hill of Medina, John Ritter Jr. of Pembroke, Jennifer Pritchett of Basom, Katy Owczarczak of Medina and Sharon Koszuta of Akron.
The fastest runners were awarded prizes for completing the 5K course. Robinson wants to add prizes in the future for best costumes.
The race attracted many participants from outside Medina. Robinson is hopeful that the race will bring people to the community who will stick around for more events as part of Medina’s Old Tyme Christmas. (Click here for the schedule.)
I heard people exclaim about the beautiful course along the canal. The only complaint: It was a little slippery for some of the runners. But everyone seemed in good spirits.
“It was fun and we wanted to do it for the first year,” said Sharon Koszuta of Akron. “We want to support running events.”
Gary Lantinen, 58, of Gasport is all alone and ahead of the pack while running along the towpath next to a frozen Erie Canal. He won today’s race with a time of 20:36.
Stephanie Schmidt of Sanborn finishes in 21:19, the fastest time for all of the women runners.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2013 at 12:00 am
They have their shops decorated, their merchandise all spiffed up and deals aplenty. Local merchants hope the community will spend some of their holiday shopping dollars in Orleans County, away from the big box stores and malls.
It seemed awfully quiet yesterday in our business districts as folks fled to the malls. That has become an annual tradition the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is built up by the big media – the television and radio stations, and the big city dailies that count the national chains as advertising customers.
Orleans Hub relies on the local small-town merchants to pay our bills. Spend some of your money with them and have some fun while you’re at it.
Medina will be in its glory today during its seventh annual Old Tyme Christmas celebration that includes children’s activities, music, Santa, elves, a parade of lighted floats and live music. (Click here to see the schedule and more information.)
Albion businesses, including restaurants, have also joined to offer discounts on Small Business Saturday, which has been an official national event since 2010.
If we shop small, we can have a bigger and better community in Orleans County.
ASHWOOD – Our photo was take a little over 100 years ago and shows the Ashwood Dry House in Ashwood.
This was located on the Yates-Carlton Townline Road along the old “Hojack” Railroad. Back at this time there were more than 40 dry houses in the county producing dried apples each season.
Women were hired each fall during harvest to peel and slice the apples for drying purposes. This was one method of food preservation before freezing and more modern canning methods.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Before they ventured down Park Avenue and emerged on Main Street in downtown Medina, the floats for the Parade of Lights gathered in the parking lot at the Olde Pickle Factory.
It was a spectacular site, seeing about 50 floats altogether. All of the entries showed a lot of spirit and many were very creative.
I thought the fleet of reindeer, with Rudolph as the leader, was particularly good. It looked like a bunch of real reindeer with a red-nosed Rudolph. Matt C.M. Contracting created this float.
I took the pre-parade photos with a SmartPhone. Some of them are a little fuzzy, including this one of East Shelby firefighters, with Fire Chief Mike Fuller in the front. I wanted to use it on the Orleans Hub because it shows the spirit and willingness of the participants to put on a good parade.
The Town of Oakfield joined Medina’s parade, one of several participants from outside Medina.
The Wildwood Lake KOA Campground in Medina was part of the Parade of Lights for the first time.
These parade participants have a few things to go over before heading out on the parade route.
Albion FFA members created a float with a Grinch and Whoville theme.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 November 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Medina’s “Old Tyme Christmas” celebration on Saturday is being promoted by Greater Niagara Region USA as an alternative “to the chaotic mall scene.”
The tourism promotion agency is urging people to spend Saturday in Medina to see a parade of lights at 6 p.m. and numerous other activities that make for a “nostalgia-filled adventure.”
“Welcome the arrival of Santa, indulge in holiday delicacies, enjoy children’s activities and experience the festive lights as Medina greets the holidays,” the tourism agency proclaims.
The group touts the historic charm of Medina’s downtown business district, which includes many buildings from the 1800s with shops run by local merchants rather than chain stores.
“Medina escaped the ‘urban renewal’ craze of the 60’s, and its commercial district boasts locally owned stores and eateries,” according to the Greater Niagara tourism organization.
To see the group’s news release about Medina and Old Tyme Christmas, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion area congregations take turns at community kitchen
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The West Barre United Methodist Church prepared a full course meal with turkey that was served to 56 people tonight at Christ Church in Albion.
Christ Church, an Episcopal congregation, has a kitchen and dining hall in Albion, and congregations in the community take turns preparing the meals, serving the food and cleaning up.
The meals are offered on Fridays throughout the year. A tradition has been serving a full course meal the day with turkey after Thanksgiving.
The West Barre church takes a turn the fifth Fridays, about four or five times a year. Today happened to be the fifth Friday of November, and it fell a day after Thanksgiving.
I showed up this evening when the West Barre church was cleaning up. Pictured include, front row, from left: Alice Mathes, Jean Peglow, Karen Dibley, cousins Allison and Lily Mathes, sisters Johanna and Melissa Dibley, and Joy Markle. Back row: Jim Peglow and Dan Shuler.
The church has been volunteering in the community kitchen for two years.
“You know there is a need out in the community,” Mrs. Peglow said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Jim Panek saw it at a yard sale in Gaines, an old buggy with wobbly wheels.
The buggy likely dates back at least a century. You don’t see too many of them around anymore.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” Panek said.
He bought it and has given it shelter in a barn next to his family’s home at 13420 Countyhouse Rd.
I was at the barn today for a story on Panek’s daughter Katie Klotzbach, who opened County House Christmas Trees. She is selling about 300 trees from the barn. I tend to get distracted around old stuff, especially items that are part of the horse-and-buggy culture.
The Albion and Gaines area is loaded with hitching posts, carriage steps and mounting blocks. I really think a trail of these artifacts could draw people out here and stir some community pride.
A dream some day for the community would be to turn one of these old carriage barns into a museum. There are a lot of these old barns behind some of the nicer houses in the community.
Before today I knew one local person who had a buggy from the pre-automobile era. I know of two sleighs. If we ever had a museum or historic site in a carriage barn, we really should have a buggy in there.
For now, the public can see one of these while they go hunt for a Christmas tree. The buggy is even decorated for the holidays.
Panek has rescued other horse-and-buggy artifacts. He moved the carriage step from his grandparents’ property on Route 18 in Lyndonville and now has it by his house.
He also bought a hitching post that was removed from a property in Eagle Harbor. Panek intends to set it up by the carriage step in front of his house. I’m happy the trail of these relics keeps getting bigger.
Dancing Derrick Bradley was part of the Weed Man display from Albion.
